Sea Bears visit River Lions for Second Game of Back-to-Back

By Zulfi Sheikh

The Winnipeg Sea Bears (3-1) continue a four-game road trip as they visit the Niagara River Lions (1-2) at the Meridian Centre on Thursday night.

Live coverage begins at 6 p.m. CT available on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, TSN+ and on the Sea Bears mobile app available for iOS devices.

It’ll be the first of two matchups for the cross-conference opponents and Winnipeg’s second game is an many days. The Sea Bears are the first team this year to go through a back-to-back as they follow up a nail-biter against the Brampton Honey Badgers on Wednesday.

Winnipeg rolled into the CAA Centre yesterday and withstood just about every punch thrown by Brampton as they came out with a 92-90 victory for a third consecutive win.

Had it not been for another heroic performance from Teddy Allen, however, things might’ve ended differently. The reigning league MVP finished the game with 30 points, 11 of which came in the fourth quarter, including a game-winning floater in Target Score Time.

Allen is yet to score less than 27 points in a contest this year and through four games, he leads the league in scoring. His 34.5 points per game are almost a full 10 points more than the second-leading scorer.

The American guard helped the Sea Bears overcome a game they nearly gave away due to a season-high 17 turnovers which gifted Honey Badgers nine extra points. It was an uncharacteristic showing from a team that entered the day averaging the fewest turnovers in the league.

On the other side, Niagara enters the night looking to bounce back from a 95-87 loss to the Scarborough Shooting Stars in what was a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Final.

There were silver linings for the River Lions to build on however, as they got two standout performances that they’ll hope happen again. Jahvon Blair came off the bench and led the game in scoring, potting 22 points in 24 minutes of action. It was a season-high performance for the third-year CEBL guard and until 2022 league MVP Khalil Ahmad returns from his overseas season, it’s the type of output Niagara will need more of.

Meanwhile, Elijah Lufile also had his best game of the year as he put up 15 points on seven-of-eight shooting and grabbed eight rebounds against his former team. The 2023 champion will be equally necessary against Winnipeg as he’ll have to match up against two of the league’s premier big men in Byron Mullens and Chad Posthumus.

Keys to Victory:

Three-point shooting: It sounds simple to say the team that hits more shots from beyond the arc is likely to win, but in this game, it could be a big swing factor. Neither team shoots with much efficiency from distance. Winnipeg (31.1) and Niagara (31.5) rank second and third last, respectively, when it comes to three-point conversion rate.

Rebounding: Despite the Sea Bears entering the matchup with more size in their lineup, the River Lions are statistically the better team on the glass. Niagara leads the CEBL, averaging 43.7 rebounds per game while ranking top-two on both the offensive and defensive side. In their loss to the Shooting Stars, rebounding was one of the few advantages as they grabbed 17 offensive rebounds (+3) and earned 18 second-chance points as a result.

Giving up extra possessions appears to be a trend for Winnipeg in tight ball games. Their lone loss and Wednesday’s two-point win are the only games where opponents have grabbed more offensive rebounds than them. Against Brampton they gave up 19 offensive rebounds (-4) for 15 second-chance points.

2023 Season Series:

If last year’s lone matchup is any indication, fans will be in for a treat. Winnipeg took their first-ever contest against Niagara by overcoming a 17-point deficit midway through the third quarter in what ended up being a three-point win.

Unsurprisingly, Allen led the way with a game-high 28 points to go with six rebounds, six assists and three steals as his Sea Bears came out with a 93-90 victory.

Stream the game live on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, TSN+ and on the Sea Bears mobile app available for iOS devices.

About the Winnipeg Sea Bears

The Winnipeg Sea Bears joined the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) as an expansion franchise in 2023. The city's only professional basketball team plays out of Canada Life Centre from May to August in a 20-game regular season schedule. Winnipeg businessman and lawyer David Asper is the organization's owner and chairman.

More information on the Sea Bears can be found at seabears.ca and @wpgseabears on Instagram, X, TikTok, LinkedIn & Facebook.

About the CEBL

A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 75% of its rosters being Canadian and a record 10 players with NBA experience in 2024. Players also bring experience from the NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, NCAA programs, as well as U SPORTS and CCAA. Fourteen players have signed NBA contracts following a CEBL season, and numerous CEBL players attend NBA G League training camps every year. The CEBL season runs from May through August with games broadcast live on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, TSN, TSN+, RDS, Game+, Next Level Sports & Entertainment and Courtside1891. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube

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